1. Technical Field
The present disclosure relates generally to a serializer for producing serial data. More particularly, the present disclosure relates to a programmable serializer for producing serial data for a video display.
2. Background Information
In some situations, video data is converted from a parallel format to a serial format. A serializer is a device that converts such parallel data to serial data. An application of a serializer is for a cellular telephone in which the logic (e.g., a processor) that generates the video data and the display on which the video data is provided are provided in two separate parts of the telephone separated by a hinge. That is, the processor is in the main part of the phone and the display is provided in a cover that flips open and shut via a hinge. In such “flip phones,” it is desirable to minimize the number of signal conductors that pass through the hinge. By serializing the video data, fewer conductors are needed in the hinge assembly.
The output rate of the serial data produced by a serializer must generally match the consumption rate of the target device. In the context in which the target device is a display, the output data rate of the serializer must generally match the resolution of the display. Most serializers, however, are capable of only a fixed serialization ratio. This limitation means, in turn, that the resolution of the display is limited by the output data rate of the serializer. A manufacturer of the cell phone may be forced to use a different serializer if it is desired to incorporate into the phone a display with a different (e.g., higher) resolution.